A majority of software programs or applications are provided with or are adapted to work in combination with a database containing stored data or information. As technology has advanced, and the volume of data is ever expanding, there is an increasing need to provide software programs or applications which are adapted to be able to store, retrieve and display this data in a user-friendly manner. This need is particularly important when displaying vast amounts of data, such as search results, on-line catalogues, and web directories.
Many known user interfaces utilize windows, cursor controls and icons to present and enable data to be accessible via a “point-and-click” type of systems where a user selects and clicks an icon to access further information. Scroll bars have also been developed for use in conjunction with the windows to enable a user to move information contained in a viewable portion of a window horizontally or vertically across the screen via movements of a cursor along the scroll bars. This allows the obscured data adjacent to the previously visible data to become visible.
These scrolling methods are also used in web browsers where the content of the web page is longer than screen size. For example, a user may type a search into a search engine, which returns a number of search hits that the user has to search through by scrolling through the results.
Current searching methods also allow a user to click on a hyperlink that appears to contain the data the user wants to access, which will in turn display various additional pages with related information which the user can review for relevance and selection.
The disadvantage of the current method is that the user never knows exactly what type of results will appear on the next search screen or whether these results will be correct or relevant to the information they seek. Some current methods do employ the use of pop-up menus, which are adapted to produce additional menu topics in response to a user highlighting and/or clicking a particular menu topic. However, the additional menus are not presented in an organised column fashion and are often extremely sensitive to cursor movement whereby a slight movement of the cursor will close the pop-up menus and/or direct the user to a different irrelevant menu topic.
In most systems or applications, a search function is provided which is adapted to search through data stored in a database as a list of relevant results. For example, assuming the user has a search word, the entering of a search word for an internet-based search may reveal a list of results for websites whose recorded description may contain that word. These lists are often extensive, and the task of finding a relevant result and/or web page from the list can not only be quite time-consuming, but assumes that the user has some knowledge and familiarity with the search topic.
When using popular search engines, users are provided with a search result list of links that point to potentially related information. Along the way, advertisement material is shown with often limited value to the User. Next, users have to sift through the search results to find the information they actually want. Finally, users are likely to visit multiple websites in an effort to find pertinent information. Actually finding the desired information is not guaranteed.
In order to overcome this problem, there have been proposed methods for attempting to categorize search results and display the results in a way in which a searcher can find information more quickly and easily. Most of these systems however, utilize programmatically applied algorithms, which can result in the production of many unrelated results and the need for users to open additional web pages to refine their search.
Search directories are commonly arranged in a hierarchical outline form with major topics divided into smaller related topics to whatever level of detail is deemed useful. There are many advantages to using a directory type of organization, especially if the person searching for information is unfamiliar with the topic. The outline structure gives the user a kind of conceptual ‘map’ of the topic(s). The user can then intuitively browse both back and forward amongst the interconnected topics and information.
In addition, many websites will provide a site map which is a list of main headings for a website which is adapted to provide a general indication what information is provided by that website. However, these site maps may not allow for all sub-categories related to a topic or a search context to be displayed and therefore, a user may miss out on an important link, associated topic, or web page, or may need to review a number of windows before possibly locating the desired data.
As technology advances, computers, operating systems and communication networks such as the internet, are becoming faster at processing, displaying, and moving information. However, when searching through information this can often be a disadvantage, as a user needs time to browse through all the information presented and can only adapt to a certain text or image movement speed. In this regard, the prior art fails to provide a means of controlling the speed of browsing behaviours so that a user can select a desired speed for browsing information.